Celtika (Merlin Codex) [Hardcover]

Robert Holdstock (Author)

Book Description

Series: Merlin Codex | Publication Date: March 1, 2003

Centuries before he meets Arthur, Merlin wanders the earth, eternally young, a traveler on the path of magic and learning. During his journeys he encounters Jason and joins his search for the Golden Fleece. It is a decision that will cost him dear...

Hundreds of years later, Merlin hears of a screaming ship in a northern lake and divines that it is the Argo...that Jason still screams out for his sons, stolen by the enchantress Medea and thought dead. But death is not the end, and Merlin's trek to the north leads to the revival of both man and ship, and a new quest, with new companions-to find Jason's sons.

Roving from the frozen north to the blighted island that will become Arthur's realm, from the deep forests of ancient Britain to the sun-washed shores of ancient Greece, Merlin's journey is an epic tale of mystery and enchantment. Celtika begins a retelling of the Arthurian legend unlike any other.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In British author Holdstock's dazzling reframing of Arthurian myth and Greek legend, a wandering, youthful Merlin who ages only when he uses his "charm" encounters Jason and joins him on his quest aboard the Argo for the Golden Fleece. Known to Jason as Antiokus, Merlin is present when the enchantress Medea kills Jason's two sons and absconds with the bodies. The Argo slips her moorings and sails off into the night, a broken ship carrying a broken man to their mutual grave. Centuries later, Merlin hears of a screaming ship in a frozen lake. Divining that the screams come from Jason, still yearning for his lost sons, Merlin struggles north, for he has learned that Jason's sons are alive. Using his jealously guarded magic, Merlin raises the Argo and the still living Jason, who gathers new Argonauts-Urtha, Ullanna and Niiv-to search for his sons. Family and loss are central to this poignant new telling of Merlin's story. And even Merlin, who for so long considered himself a solitary traveler on the pathways of magic, realizes that he's not as alone as he once thought. With this remarkable work, Holdstock, a World Fantasy Award winner for Mythago Wood (1985), more than lives up to his billing as one of the finest living crafters of myth.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Holdstock's latest mythic fantasy launches the autobiography of Merlin. It begins long before the time of the Matter of Britain, when Merlin, already a powerful mage who has sailed with Jason on the Argo, is trying to help Jason find the old ship and his two sons, who may not have been murdered by Medea, after all. The quest takes king and mage to Scandinavia to bring the ship back to life, then to Alba--England, that is. There they become comrades of a warrior on a quest for vengeance, and that plops them in the middle of the historic invasion of Greece by Brennus the Gaul. Merlin has conflicts of interest, in that he and Medea are both members of the same order of mage. Readers may also feel conflicted over whether splendid individual scenes and fine, deep characterizations compensate for a narrative so laden with mythic and folkloric references that it is hard to follow. But Holdstock has justified staying with him before, and he has more of Merlin's adventures in the offing. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (March 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765306921
• ISBN-13: 978-0765306920
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,507,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent story of myth interwoven with history, May 10, 2003

By 

Ian Kaplan (Livermore, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celtika (Merlin Codex) (Hardcover)

I have enjoyed Robert Holdstock's work since his book Mythago Wood
first came out. Like all of Holdstock's work, Celtika weaves
myth and reality together. In Holdstock's book characters from
myth and demigods walk among men and women. Holdstock's earlier
works are full of obcession, love and passion as the world of
humans intersects with the world of myth (or Mythagos). This
gives his earlier work a somewhat dark quality. Although Celtika
opens in the snow and at a haunted lake, this work seems lighter
somehow.

Holdstock is an excellent english stylist and has an encylopedic
knowledge of early history and myth. Celtika is a strange
intersection a time which appears to be between Alexander's
conquests and the rise of the Roman Empire, with mythical greek
history.

Although I suppose Celtika work would be classified as
fantasy, Holdstock does not write classic fantasy. His
stories have a real character to them. The main character,
Merlin, does not wash much, as few people did in the west
before modern times. Celtika recounts a story from earlier
in Merlins very long life where he is seduced by a woman.
She come to him in a sheer dress, smelling of flowers.
As she undresses him she discovers that he is filthy. She
first cleans him before they make love.

Holdstock definitely writes for a well read audience.
The story of Media is interwoven into Celtika and if you
have not read or seen the Greek play Media, it might be
worth reading to understand some of the background in this
story. In particular, why Media is so bitter.

In summary, this is an excellent book...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read, February 8, 2004

By 

S Hicks (New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celtika (Merlin Codex) (Hardcover)

Just finished Celtika by Robert Holdstock....a excellent read with a new twist on the story of Merlin and Jason (from Golden Fleece fame). If you're a stickler for keeping true to the old myths you may not like it, if however you like seeing tales told from a different perspective go for it. Takes you to a magical world 700 yrs after Jason's famous quest. Great cast of characters.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A well-woven tale of Celtic and Greek myths & heroes, April 7, 2008

By 

Neil Dewitte (Birmingham, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Celtika (Holdstock, Robert. Merlin Codex, Bk. 1,) (Hardcover)

Familial estrangement, one of Holdstock's favorite themes, takes center stage in Celtika. Celtika is mythic fiction that is epic in scope, including space and time. It revives a 700 year-old struggle between Jason (from Jason & the Argonauts) and Medea, the mother of all trickery. The events in Celtika take place throughout Europe, starting in Scandinavia and moving from there to England, the heart of central Europe and to the Mediterranean coasts of Greece.

Holdstock effectively includes Celtic and Classical (Greek) cultures and myths. Heroic deeds of mythic proportions are intermixed with subtle scenes involving concealed motives, magic and ever-changing personal emotions. This book is like a mystery, unraveling secrets slowly while continuing to reveal new mysteries. The book contains a good bit of action, but fighting and battle are a natural part of telling the story, not the purpose of the story.

At first read, it appears Holdstock may have bitten off more than he can chew by introducing many characters from different cultures and moving them in a variety of directions (physical and mental.) I am optimistic that these threads will be picked up the following books of the trilogy. Unlike some of Holdstock's previous works, he wraps up enough clues at the end of Celtika to offer the reader some catharsis while still keeping the reader curious about what will happen next.

I recommend reading or brushing up on Jason and the Argonauts and Arthurian legends involving the wizard Merlin prior to reading Celtika.

One thing I particularly like about this book is that it is told in first person from the narrative viewpoint of Merlin who, like the reader, should know his Greek mythology.

Overall this book falls solidly between average and excellent - I give it four stars.